[ad_1]
Without the ability to rewrite the laws of physics, NASA relies on the same principles of spaceflight as the first man on the moon, 50 years ago, in 1969. The foundations of the rocket, initiated by NASA and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, involves burning large amounts of oxidant and fuel to create an upward thrust. Unfortunately, Ella Atkins, an aerospace engineer, is concerned that the department has not changed much since the end of the race to space. Speaking to Express.co.uk, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and a senior member of the IEEE, explained why ion propulsion is an alternative that slowly improves.
Atkins said, "As Scotty would say," You can not change the laws of physics ".
"An orbit is an orbit, an orbit transfer is an orbit transfer, and we need to fight gravity the same way we did 50 years ago.
"All that means is that the trajectories we follow are very similar to the ones we followed 50 years ago and this is due to physics.
"The fundamental problem of throwing mass at high speed on the back of a launcher was pretty much solved 50 years ago and we do not know how to do it better."
READ MORE: Why does it take more than humans to install the Moon, Mars and beyond?
NASA shock: Ionic thrusters could solve the problem of "basic propulsion systems" (Image: NASA)
NASA news: Ionic thrusters eject positive ions to create thrust in a spaceship (Image: NASA)
Ionic drives or ion thrusters are groundbreaking because they use positive ion streams to advance a spacecraft instead of burning rocket fuel.
As Scotty would say, "You can not change the laws of physics"
An ionic propellant will bombard a neutral gas such as xenon with high energy electrons to drop individual negative electrons from the propellant atoms.
The process creates positively charged ions, which mix with negative electrons to create a neutral charge plasma.
Then, by applying a large voltage across the drive, xenon ions are pushed through a metal grid and projected into space to create a surge.
READ MORE: Apollo was an inefficient moon landing but Elon Musk "impressive" will fix it
Ionic thrusters can project these ions at a speed of 90,000 km / h, making it a potentially powerful form of propulsion.
But the current state of ionic propulsion is still far from the technology needed for fast and efficient space exploration.
Ionic propulsion is currently used on satellites and small spacecraft to help them stay in the proper orbits.
But according to Atkins, we are slowly developing incredible technology.
READ MORE: Will humans be ready to live in space in only 25 years?
She said: "We have the electric propulsion or ion propulsion that allows us – and we are gradually improving – to burn to transfer small amplitude surges between orbits, between planets or between a heliocentric orbit and an orbit around us. . another body.
"But we can not generate the amount of thrust needed because we do not project as many particles into the rear of a spacecraft when we use ion propulsion.
"This means that we will not launch a large payload or payload from the surface of the Earth. It does not provide enough thrust.
"So we're still dealing with the same kind of chemical propulsion system, whether it's solid or liquid, that we had a long time ago."
NASA news: NASA's share in the US federal budget over the years (Image: GETTY)
NASA news: Ionic thrusters are still too weak to launch a spaceship from Earth (Image: NASA)
In 2017, NASA announced its involvement in the development of two ionic thrusters: the NASA (NEXT) Evolutionary Xenon Thruster and Ring Motor.
The space agency said the technology would reduce mission costs and, more importantly, reduce travel time in space.
The same year, in October, researchers from the University of Michigan unveiled the X3 Hall ion booster developed for NASA.
The University said the low power xenon and krypton booster could reach speeds of up to 25 miles per second or 40 km per second.
Brief history of rocket technology and spaceflight at NASA:
1950s – The launch of the Soviet Sputnik in 1957 prompts the United States to focus on the application of "space studies".
1954 – On November 23, the American Rocket Lab launches its first hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine.
1954 – Neil Armstrong starts working as a test pilot for the National Aeronautical Advisory Committee (NACA) – soon to become the National Aeronautics and Airports Authority. space (NASA).
1957 – The first hydrogen airplane makes a successful flight.
1960s – Space programs Mercury, Gemini and Apollo train the Soviet Union on the Moon.
1969 – A Saturn V rocket carries three Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon on July 16, 1969.
1981 – The first spaceship of the Space Shuttle is put into orbit.
1998 – A deep space probe carrying an NSTAR ion thruster is launched on October 24th.
[ad_2]
Source link